Steel and glass everywhere.
Cassian stood under a skybridge, frowning at his map. "This doesn't make sense. We should be closer to the signal."
Adrian turned slowly, scanning the street. "Or Ashfall's layout is intentionally stupid."
Cassian exhaled. "Location check. We're near the financial district—north loop. Lots of foot traffic."
"Too much," Adrian added. "If anything moves wrong here, we won't see it until it's on top of us."
Their comms crackled.
"Copy," Mira's voice said. "Stay sharp. Don't rush."
Cassian muttered, "I hate when she says that."
-----
An older part of the city.
Narrow streets. Low lights. Quiet.
Elara walked with her hands in her jacket pockets, eyes alert but relaxed. "Okay, we're three blocks from the old rail line."
Beside her, Lunara slowed.
Her ears twitched beneath the beanie.
"…Something moved," Lunara said quietly.
Elara stopped instantly. "Where?"
"Not human," Lunara murmured. Her tail flicked once under the coat. "Fast. Wrong."
Elara's jaw tightened. "Direction?"
Lunara tilted her head. "Above. Then gone."
Elara lifted her comm. "Night Howl reporting. Industrial south—something moved. Lunara felt it."
A pause.
Mira's voice came back sharper. "Copy. You're the first to flag it. Stay put."
Lunara's eyes narrowed. So it's real.
------
A calmer street. Early cafés opening.
Steam from vents curling into the air.
Leon walked at an even pace. Eliot matched him, hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes observant behind his glasses.
"It's quieter here," Eliot said softly.
Leon nodded. "Which means if something's wrong, we'll hear it."
Eliot glanced up. "Location check. East sector. Near the transit hub."
Their feed stayed steady. No panic. No rush.
Leon's comm buzzed.
"Quiet Signal," Mira said. "Be careful. I'm seeing a pattern form near you."
Leon didn't react outwardly. "Understood."
Eliot swallowed—but nodded. "We're ready."
------
Chaos.
Theo adjusted his crooked glasses for the fifth time. "Why does Ashfall have seventeen streets with the same name?"
Rex laughed. "City's gaslighting you."
"I hate this city," Theo grumbled. "My brain hurts. Also, Mira definitely planned this."
Rex tapped the comm. "Hey, Control? If we die, I'm haunting you."
Mira's voice came back instantly. "You know I can hear everything you say, right?"
Theo froze. "…She can hear us."
Rex grinned. "Worth it."
They reached an alley mouth—too quiet.
Theo slowed. "…Rex?"
Before Rex could answer—
"Sunrise Squad," Mira cut in, tone sharp now. "Stop. I see something."
Theo's breath hitched. Rex's grin faded.
"Don't advance," Mira said. "Whatever it is—it's moving fast."
Across the city, Lunara's ears twitched again.
The hunt had just shifted.
And someone—something—was no longer running.
The comms crackled—once, sharp.
"Everyone," Mira said, voice clipped, all warmth gone. "Redirect. Sunrise Squad's location. I'm seeing movement—and Lunara sensed it first."
Theo swallowed hard.
Rex straightened instantly.
"It's in an alley," Mira continued. "I'm sending the address now."
Screens pinged. Coordinates locked in.
"Black Channel, Night Howl, Quiet Signal—confirm."
"Confirmed," Cassian said immediately.
"On the move," Elara replied, already pulling Lunara forward.
Leon didn't hesitate. "Copy."
They ran.
"I told you," Lunara said under her breath as they sprinted, boots striking pavement. "It wasn't human."
Elara glanced sideways, breathing steady. "I know. I believed you."
Lunara's ears flattened beneath the beanie. "It's circling. Testing."
Elara's grip tightened on her sleeve. "Then it picked the wrong group."
Cassian vaulted a barrier. "Industrial sector again. Why is it always industrial?"
Adrian checked the street ahead. "Because nothing screams 'bad idea' like abandoned alleys."
They pushed harder.
Leon and Eliot ran shoulder to shoulder.
Eliot's hair whipped into his eyes, breath coming fast but controlled. His heart hammered—not from fear alone, but urgency.
"Leon—" he said between breaths, "what if it's—what if it's like Lunara?"
Leon didn't slow. "Then we don't panic."
"But what if it—"
Leon glanced at him, calm even while running. "Then we protect each other. Same rule."
Eliot nodded, swallowing, legs burning—but he didn't fall behind.
---
Rex stood at the mouth of the alley, muscles tense, eyes scanning shadows.
Theo hovered beside him, glasses fogged, brain racing. "I don't like this. I really, really don't like this."
"Hey," Rex said quietly. "Stick close."
The alley felt wrong.
Too still. Too narrow.
A trash bag shifted—no wind.
Theo whispered, "Rex…"
Before he could finish—
Mira's voice cut in. "I'm on my way."
Everyone froze.
"You're leaving the control room?" Leon demanded over comms.
"Yes," Mira replied coolly. "I'm waiting for someone."
The feed blinked.
Static.
The body cam feed went dark.
"Mira?" Cassian snapped.
Nothing.
Theo's breath hitched. "She—she turned it off."
Rex swore under his breath. "That's not comforting."
Footsteps echoed at the far end of the alley.
Too light.
Too fast.
And every instinct—wolf, human, protector—screamed at once.
They were seconds away now.